Social care expenditure continues to rise

New research has found that councils’ expenditure on both adult and children’s social care continues to rise at an alarming rate.

Grant Thornton UK LLP says that social care continues to be the number one drain on councils’ finances in England, with 47 per cent of councils overspending on their adult social care budget last year, a seven per cent increase compared to 2017/18.

This number almost doubles for children’s social care, which saw 82 per cent of councils overspend against their budget in 2018/19, a number which has risen almost consistently since 2014/15.

Nick Clarke, head of Social Care Consulting at Grant Thornton UK LLP, said: “Our research highlights the continued increase in spend on social care, for both children and adults, which has put a growing strain on local government finances. Councils are reporting huge overspends, leaving many struggling to fulfil their statutory duties. Across the country, local authority services are under significant and increasing pressure. The number of high cost placements is at record levels; needs are more complex at the time of requesting a service, leaving monopolies of the care market rising at a worrying rate.”